1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a breast scanning apparatus for precise diagnosis by embodying a functional image in a morphological image by merging an ultrasonic and a photoacoustic image.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ultrasonic probe is used for analyzing morphological features of an organ or a tissue inside a human body by generating an image by transmitting an ultrasonic wave to the human body and receiving echo signals which are reflected from inside the human body.
However, despite improvements in image quality, precision of early-stage cancer diagnosis, such as, for example, a determination of whether a tumor is benign or malignant, is poor due to limits of morphological images based on ultrasonic transmission/reception.
Recently, photoacoustic techniques for producing a functional image by generating ultrasonic waves by irradiating a light (a laser beam) toward a human body tissue, receiving the reflected ultrasonic waves, and measuring light characteristics of the tissue are being developed and applied to medical diagnosis. Research is being actively conducted on techniques for improving precision of diagnosis by simultaneously providing a morphological image and a functional image by combining an ultrasonic image and a photoacoustic image based on an ultrasonic wave system.
However, a conventional probe moves while diagnosing a breast, and thus it is difficult to obtain a clear image.